1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for effecting the rescue of people who are trapped on the upper floors of buildings following as a result fires or other emergencies.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various prior art devices provide for a person being rescued to enjoy a reasonably controlled descent on the exterior of a building in the case of fire or other emergencies. These prior art devices are made up of a harness or safety belt secured to a casing wherein a cable is coiled on a reel that is connected to a braking apparatus. The free end of the cable has a hook to be hooked to an achorage provided therfor near the building windows. However, these prior devices are in some cases not fully operable in the desired manner, substantially for the reason that all these prior devices have to be secured to the user body and this fact provides the following disadvantages:
1. The device is heavy and cumbersome since the cable is coiled on a reel inside the same device, and for this reason it can be of hindrance during the descent. In addition, if an obstacle is encountered between the starting off point and that of arrival, the user cannot use his arms or his legs to free himself from the device, expecially if the user is a child, an aged person or an invalid.
2. The cable comes aut the device sliding near the users body, and since there is a relative movement between the cable and the user's body during the descent, the cable can become entangled with the user's clothing and/or wind the clothing in the device.